One of my favorite poems is by the Sufi poet Rumi, The Guest House. Rumi writes “This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.” The poem captures so much of what it means to live life. To recognize we are all human and that just being alive comes with an ebb and flow of emotions and experiences.
As a life & leadership coach I worry that too often your goal is about reaching for something better - greater- more. In the pursuit of success, money, recognition, happiness or grasping onto those seemingly perfect moments you may be missing the sense of what being human is all about. You may be longing to be more than what you are right now as a reaction to the social situation in which you are living.
Being human doesn’t mean you won’t experience pain, frustration, angst. If you are living your life you will experience all of these. A constant focus on feeling good, and being happy takes you away from the idea that there are days- that making it through the day is enough. This constant state of desire can also lead to a sense of being unworthy, low self-esteem and self-doubt.
In Buddhism, one of the main tenants is that desire (tanha) leads to dukkha or suffering. Desire is an expression of longing for something you do not believe you have. Unattended desire can become obsessing, craving and an expression of neediness. In some Buddhist traditions there are two types of desire, Tanha and Chanda. Chanda being “impulse, excitement, will, desire for”. Chandra is desiring what and no more than will be attained. Tanha is desiring more than will be attained.
As a human you cannot live without desire. However, as Rumi reminds you “Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.” You can learn to become conscious of your desires and create practices to be at peace with who you are. First be aware, catch yourself drifting to thoughts that are not grounded in the present moment, then slowly shift to the here and now, recognize what you do have and who you are right now then remember to live not only for yourself but for others and the world around you.
Credits:
Created with images by Looker_Studio - "Bullseye is a target of business. Dart is an opportunity and Dartboard is the target and goal. So both of that represent a challenge in business marketing as concept." • tawatchai1990 - "Woman standing at Khao Na Nai Luang Dharma Park in Surat Thani, Thailand" • OlegD - "Silhouette of young girl holding the sun in hand during sunset, closeup"